Nonprofit Conference Planned for Inland Northwest
Educational classes for nonprofit organizations hosted at the Spokane Masonic Center February 2011
SPOKANE, WA, January 13, 2011
The first annual Inland Northwest Nonprofit Conference - Fund Development Series will be held Thursday, February 17th, 2011, at the Spokane Masonic Center and will host 12 individual classes, including a local grant maker's panel, for area nonprofit staff. Industry experts will present on grants research, proposal writing, online marketing, financial management, legal issues, program evaluations, marketing on small budgets, board engagement, planned giving, corporate sponsorship, and building sustainable organizations. The conference is the first of its kind to be held in the Inland Northwest.According to a November press release by the Foundation Center, giving by U.S. foundations is poised for modest overall growth in 2011, after remaining flat in 2010. The purpose of the conference is to provide educational and applicable resources to area nonprofit organizations to support continued success and sustainability and to help organizations better position themselves to obtain funds in 2011 and beyond. Anyone working within a nonprofit organization is encouraged to attend.
The grants panel is a conference highlight offering an open forum discussion with community, corporate, private, and government grant makers, including Kristine Meyer of Avista Foundation, Sarah Smith of Empire Health Foundation, and Patty Gates of Community Building Foundation as well as Sandra Gill of NW Nonprofit Resources, acting as moderator. The panel will share insight into their foundation's specific funding process and will offer a Q&A session to help grant seekers understand how they can improve their approach to obtaining funding.
Throughout the last quarter of 2010, local nonprofit grant makers, foundation executives, and other leaders in the sector have convened to discuss area needs to support the overall building of capacity for Inland Northwest nonprofit organizations. Amongst these individuals is Antony Chiang, President of Empire Health Foundation, who states,
"The foundation believes in the importance of capacity building in our region's nonprofit sector, and subscribes to the idea that stronger staff and stronger organizations create greater programmatic impact. While capacity building takes many forms, the Inland Northwest Nonprofit Conference represents an exciting new resource for our region's NPOs in the area of professional development."
The conference begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Masonic Center. Classes can be purchased ala carte or as entire day passes. Several networking sessions will be included as well as an extended lunch hour with a keynote presenter. CFRE credits will be offered. For more information or to register, please go to http://www.ae-consulting.net. Updates on presenters will be posted on AE Consulting's NW Nonprofit Blog (http://ae-consulting.blogspot.com).
Thank you to our sponsors, LarsonAllen and Washington Trust Bank.
Limited opportunities for exhibitor tables are available. Please contact Andrea Estes at (206) 355-7514 if you are interested in participating.